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July 15, 2013
Fish Oil Increases Risk for Prostate Cancer, New Study?
By Jeffrey Dach
Many people consume Omega 3 Fish Oil every day to prevent heart disease. However, a recent article reported that fish oil increases risk for prostate cancer. Is this true?
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Mercury levels in fish by U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet
I received an email from a concerned patient who consumes omega 3 fish oil every day as part of his nutritional-supplement program to prevent heart disease. He was concerned because he saw an article in the paper reporting fish oil increases risk for prostate cancer. The data in the fish oil-prostate study was published in 2011 by Theodore Brasky of Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. A new report on this same data just came out in an article July 10 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Above Image: photo of fish courtesy of USGS.
In Dr Brasky's study, the type of fish or fish oil consumed was not controlled. The study did not use any particular brand or quality of fish oil; instead, a questionnaire was sent to the participant, and blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids were measured in the patients. So, it is highly likely that the fish consumed or the fish oils used varied in quality and some or all may have been contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals.
Serum Omega-3 Fatty Acid Level -- Surrogate Marker for Carcinogenic Contaminants in Fish
So, in my opinion, the Brasky Fish Oil study proves that carcinogenic chemicals in fish cause cancer. Measuring the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood is a surrogate marker for contaminated fish and fish-oil consumption. These contaminants cause cancer. We already knew that. Perhaps the most studied carcinogenic chemicals that accumulate in fish are PCBs and dioxins, which are known carcinogens.
Does Our Food Cause Cancer?
We normally eat food in order to survive and stay healthy. Fish is one of the foods we humans have consumed for millions of years. Eating a fish is no more carcinogenic any than any other food on our plate. It's the contamination by industrial chemicals in our food that is carcinogenic. So the correct answer is that fish oil does not cause cancer. Carcinogenic chemicals that contaminate the fish DO CAUSE cancer.
Self-Censorship in the News
If you read the news reports, you will notice a form of self-censorship. The journalists avoid mentioning the fact that fish and fish oils are contaminated by environmental pollutants that are carcinogenic. Apparently that might annoy their corporate sponsors who are the source of the environmental pollution.
Why Take Fish Oil in the First Place?
The main reason most of my patients take fish oil is the benefit for cardiovascular-disease prevention. A recent Harvard study by Mozaffarian in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that higher omega-3 fatty-acid levels in the blood were associated with a 20-30% reduction in mortality from cardiovascular disease.
Pure Omega 3 Oils Avoid Carcinogenic Contamination
My recommended fish-oil supplement is the DHA Ultimate. This is a solvent-free, supercritical CO2-based extraction fish-oil concentrate. The manufacturer uses low temperature, oxygen-free processing to prevent oxidation reactions. Each batch of fish oils is third-party tested to assure the product is free of heavy metals, dioxins/furans, dioxin-like PCBs and PCBs, etc.
Articles With Related Interest
Mercury Sensitivity and the Environment
Author: Jeffrey Dach MD
Links and References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Brasky, Theodore M., et al. "Serum Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk: Results From the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial." American Journal of Epidemiology 173.12 (2011): 1429.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23843441
J Natl Cancer Inst. 2013 Jul 10. [Epub ahead of print]
Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk in the SELECT Trial. Brasky TM, Darke AK, Song X, Tangen CM, Goodman PJ, Thompson IM, Meyskens FL Jr, Goodman GE, Minasian LM, Parnes HL, Klein EA, Kristal AR.Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH
http://www.fhcrc.org/en/news/
A high percentage of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood is linked to an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Conversely, a high percentage of trans-fatty acids is linked with a lower risk.
SEATTLE -- Apr 25, 2011 --
The new study, published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that men who have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their system face a 43 percent increased risk of developing prostate cancer and a 71 percent increased risk of the high-grade form of the disease.
http://seattletimes.com/html/
Men might want to shun fish oils, study shows
Fresh research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center suggests a link between an elevated risk of prostate cancer and fish oils.By Sarah Zhang Seattle Times staff reporter
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/
Fish oils may raise prostate cancer risks, study confirms
Maggie Fox, Senior Writer NBC News
http://health.usnews.com/
Too Much Fish Oil Might Boost Prostate Cancer Risk, Study Says
Often-fatal aggressive disease of particular concern
July 10, 2013 By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
http://junkscience.com/2013/
http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/surveillance/fsisbranch2006/fsis0306#.UeAyWKw1mSo
Dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in farmed and wild fish and shellfish
Food Survey Information Sheet 03/06
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11392380
Hum Reprod Update. 2001 May-Jun;7(3):331-9.
Human health effects of dioxins: cancer, reproductive and endocrine system effects.Kogevinas M.SourceInstitut Municipal d'Investigació Medica, Respiratory and Environmental Health Research Unit, Barcelona, Spain.
Polychlorinated dioxins, furans and polychlorinated benzene constitute a family of toxic persistent environmental pollutants. In Europe, environmental concentrations increased slowly throughout this century until the late 1980s. Dioxins have been shown to be carcinogenic in animals and humans. In humans, excess risks were observed for all cancers, without any specific cancer predominating.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-016-03/
Mercury in Stream Ecosystems--New Studies Initiated by the U.S. Geological SurveyBy Mark E. Brigham, David P. Krabbenhoft, and Pixie A. HamiltonU.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 016-03
https://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1671714
plasma Phospholipid Long-Chain ω-3 Fatty Acids and Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Older Adults: A Cohort Study by Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH; Rozenn N. Lemaitre, PhD, MPH; Irena B. King, PhD; Xiaoling Song, PhD; Hongyan Huang, PhD; Frank M. Sacks, MD; Eric B. Rimm, ScD; Molin Wang, PhD; and David S. Siscovick, MD, MPH Mozaffarian D, Lemaitre RN, King IB, Song X, Huang H, Sacks FM, Rimm EB, Wang M, Siscovick DS.Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Phospholipid fatty acid levels and cardiovascular risk factors were measured in 1992. Relationships with total and cause-specific mortality and incident fatal or nonfatal CHD and stroke through 2008 were assessed.
CONCLUSION:Higher circulating individual and total ω3-PUFA levels are associated with lower total mortality, especially CHD death, in older adults.
Jeffrey Dach MD
Disclaimer click here: www.drdach.com/wst_page20.htmlThe reader is advised to discuss the comments on these pages with his/her personal physicians and to only act upon the advice of his/her personal physician. Also note that concerning an answer which appears as an electronically posted question, I am NOT creating a physician -- patient relationship. Although identities will remain confidential as much as possible, as I can not control the media, I can not take responsibility for any breaches of confidentiality that may occur.
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Authors Website: http://jeffreydachmd.com
Authors Bio:
Jeffrey Dach MD is a physician and author of three books, Natural Medicine 101, and Bioidentical Hormones 101, and Heart Book all available on Amazon, or as a free e-book on his web sites.
Dr. Dach is founder and chief medical officer of TrueMedMD, a clinic in Davie, Florida specializing in Bioidentical Hormones, natural thyroid, functional medicine and low level laser therapy.
Dr. Dach was originally trained and board certified as an Interventional and Diagnostic Radiologist, and worked in the hospital setting for 30 years in Broward County at the Memorial Hospital System. Because of declining visual acuity, Dr Dach retired from radiology and returned to clinical medicine about 8 years ago when he founded the TruMedMD Clinic offering bioidentical hormones and natural thyroid to the South Florida region. For more information about Dr Dach, you can find his entire CV posted on-line on his web site.